Last month, Nissan unveiled the NISMO version of the Armada. Now, Infiniti is showing two versions of the QX80, one for serious off-roading, and another that’s meant to be a track performer. We have to ask if anyone seriously wants these two different, hopped-up versions of three-row luxury SUVs. But then, we already know the answer to that question. Just look at the 550-horsepower, $180,000 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600. Not good enough? Go for the 2026 AMG GLS 63 Manufaktur, with 603 horsepower. If you’ve got a different Teutonic inkling, get the BMW X5M competition, instead.
As for the 4×4 question, we also have the answer to that one: Range Rover. The point is, by going to extremes for 0-60 bragging rights or off-road performance, Infiniti is just chasing the same customers its rivals are already selling to. If anything, Infiniti’s late to the party. Here’s how they might catch up.
QX80 Track Spec: SUV Or Fantasy?
The stock QX80’s twin-turbo V-6 makes 450 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. This is the same VR35DDTT twin-turbo powerplant that Nissan is using in the NISMO Armada. The fact that the QX80 Track Spec manages to bump that output to what Infiniti is calling “650-plus” horsepower and “750-plus” pound-feet of torque isn’t that shocking. Nissan revised the turbocharging with upgraded compressors and a different intercooler, and as they did with the NISMO Armada, increased both intake volume and exhaust volume.
On the NISMO Armada, Nissan changed the turbochargers’ turbine wheels to a special alloy called Mar-M, which is used in jet engine turbines because it can withstand extreme torsion and speed as well as temperature ranges. It wouldn’t be even slightly surprising if they used the same internals on the QX80 Track Spec. FYI, aftermarket versions of the VR35DDTT have been pushed way beyond 1,000 horsepower.
Infiniti has never pushed harder into trail-capable crossovers.
While Infiniti didn’t mention this upgrade, the NISMO Armada’s suspension has been deeply revised, with adaptive damping, to greatly reduce body roll, and the steering was reengineered as well, for sharper response. Add in a quad exhaust, 24-inch wheels, blistered fenders, and the grille from the recently released Sport trim, and you have a pretty compelling, mean-looking rig.
QX80 Terrain Spec: Built For The Trail?
We know far fewer specifics about the QX80 Terrain Concept. Infiniti only says that the ride height has been “elevated,” without offering how much, and it gets off-road-specific knobby tires (with custom Infiniti-embossed sidewalls) and some very slick wheels. Infiniti flares the fenders on this concept, too, but here they’re armored for the purpose of shredding trails. Likewise, both the front and rear get armored fascias—though for production, you’d probably prefer something less pretty, such as legit skid-plating. Infiniti also snaked the exhaust for better off-road protection, too.
The carmaker added that their Around-View camera tech would be handy for off-road obstacle spotting, and that technology allows the driver to have a “see-through” hood, the better for more precise rock-crawling tire placement.
Infiniti’s Real Play: Show Or No-Go?
It’s easy to give these kinds of concepts the side-eye. But with the NISMO Armada hitting production, and the QX80 Sport really just about fancier trim, my bet is that they will come to market with a legitimately more potent version of the QX80. Almost every rival offers something like this, so why wouldn’t Infiniti, too? Plus, that’s in Infiniti’s DNA, with hot versions of the G35 and the FX crossovers. Infiniti has never pushed harder into trail-capable crossovers.
Unless you count the Pathfinder twin from the late 1990s, the QX4. But the reality is that Nissan and Infiniti’s most cost-effective way out of automaking purgatory will be to let their engineering lead. That’s always been a Nissan strength—and it’s cheaper to riff on the platforms they already have with special editions that goose cash flow than to debut all-new cars.
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